you're seen us catch on-line predators. men who use the internet to target children for sex. >> just in case something happened, you brought condoms. >> this time in small town, america, the unexpected happens. >> you guys have a schedule a couple hours out. as it gets closer, something changes their mind. >> could this predator bust turn into a bust. >> everybody who does surveillance, it is sit and wait. >> but often they come, often traveling long distances. >> what makes a man travel two hours with outrageous alibis. >> my intention is to befriend her and try to mentor her. >> it's a new location. but the same shocking behavior.

>> i'm honored to be cred the candidate for your first. >> yeah. playful chat. >> with the same result. >> unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. >> this is predator raw. we're in greeneville, ohio. which is in darke county. locals know everybody. people talk. and they know just about everything that's going on in the town. he we do have a rather high profile when we come into a small town. >> let me get this camera. i want to put a mouth on the bottom. >> we move into this house to do our investigation. and there's guys with cables and climbing up poles and setting up ladders and doing things. i think it did raise suspicion this this quiet neighborhood. so day one came and seemed fine.

>> hey, nathan? >> yeah. >> i just cut the crap out of my toe. i'm going to grab a band-aid and i'll be right there. okay? >> we work with the watch dog, perverted justice. they go into chat room and pose as 14, 15-year-old kids, home alone. >> i'll be right down. >> do me a favor and sit down an teak your hands out of your pockets. have a seat. >> as a potential predator walks in, the whole other investigation starting outside the house. the sheriff's department is moving into position. trying to monitor what's going on. so there are no surprises. and the police are set up in a house across the street. there's a mote home. you know, they've got the entire area covered. >> what are you doing here?

>> i came it visit somebody. >> who did you come to visit? >> katie. >> katie? >> how old is katie? >> 13. >> 13, and how old are you? >> 23. >> 23? do you see a problem with that? ? that's yes? what is the problem that you see? >> she's 13. >> there seems little doubt as it what you wanted to do here based upon the chat. you could stay up late, sleep in your dad's bed, try on his girlfriend's clothes, underwear included, and run around the house nude. >> instant messaging allows for a way to talk differently. >> talk differently.

>> without actually facing the person so you don't have to deal with the embarrassment of saying those things to their face. >> so it doesn't bother you i am 13? >> no, it's cool. you get into very graphic detail about what you want to do to her. >> fantasies dreamed up on-line or in your mind. things you might not be able to willingly do when it comes down to it. >> nathan starts out saying, look, this is just all fantasy. i wasn't going to really act on it. what i said wasn't really that bad anyway. then i started going back through the trans and i'm reading him passages that are quite explicit. >> after i remove your shirt and bra, i will run my hands over your soft skin. i will touch your breasts, kiss them and run my tongue along them. then you go on from there. in graphic detail. what are we to make of this? now you have my heart pumping

and my blood racing. i just remembered, please don't tell anyone if we do have sex, we both might be in a lot of trouble. >> i know it's wrong. >> but i want to tell you it is worth the risk. what should happen to you? >> i'm not sure. i'm not sure what the law says about this. >> well, it's illegal. >> but nothing has happened yet. >> i don't think nathan had a clear understanding of how the law works in ohio. what he thought was, okay, i might be in trouble for this chat. but i can't be arrested because i haven't actually had sex with the girl yet. i just showed up. but that's not how the law works. >> well, i know. but it's illegal for someone to use the internet, to solicit somebody who is 13 for sex. >> oh, that i was unaware of.

>> you are unaware of? why would you think it would be lawful to do something like that? >> it didn't cross my mind. >> it didn't cross your mind where you thought it would be -- >> the law was broken. because of what he said on-line, the solicitation and the fact that he showed up. it didn't matter that there wasn't really a young teenage girl waiting for him to have sex. he, according to the authorities was breaking the law. well, nathan, there's something i got to tell you. i'm chris hansen from date line nbc and we're doing a story about adults who try to meet underage boys and girls for sex on the internet. if you have anything else would you like to tell me, i'd be

happy to hear it. if not, you're obviously free to walk out there door. >> thank you. >> anything else you would like to say? >> no. >> okay. >> i finished my conversation with nathan. he leaves. sheriffs arrest him. he is taken to this auxiliary building for the next step of the process which is to be processed and ultimately interviewed by detectives. >> what do we got here? what were your plans for today? when you were coming to meet her? >> when i came through the door, i pretty much already reached the conclusion that this was something i couldn't go through with. i already -- i thought about the whole drive over here. and so i figured i would just tell her face-to-face that we could spend time together watching a movie, whatever, but there wouldn't be anything beyond that. >> what were your plans as far as what you were communicating?

>> the plans as far as what we were communicating or as far as i was thinking at the moment, was the sexual activity. >> okay. >> but the possible repercussions of that actual -- of actually doing it, began running through my mind, i couldn't stop thinking about it. what would happen if i was caught. i was caught. >> there is was a pocket night. anything else under the car. >> under the left seat is a box of condoms unopened. that was supposed to be for something different. i just never used them. >> do you have a girlfriend or anything? >> no. >> no. when is the last time you had a girlfriend? >> never. >> never? >> never. >> have sex? >> no. >> never. so you have a box of condoms with you. never had sex before. whole plan was to have sex with this 13-year-old when you got here, correct? ?

>> that was the original plan. >> at this point you will be charged with unlawful sexual conduct, attempt of unlawful sexual conduct after minor. >> what's the penalty. >> felony fourth degree. >> that goes on my record, correct? so will i be tried for it? >> yeah. >> faithian spent the night in the darke county jail. >> he wants it engage in sex acts repeatedly. he wants it treat the boy like his main woman. >> it was very intense. >> they can take him right now before he leaves the state. it'll be a different county but they got him. ♪

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well, he started saying he loves me. >> what time is he going to leave? >> when the guys aren't walking into the door, i spend my downtime, if you will, pretty much reading transcripts and communicating with perverted justice to try to learn as much about each individual as i

possibly can. >> i need quiet. >> yo. i totally tried to call your cell first. yeah. and i think it says to greenville. >> dell works for perverted justice. she is a contributor decoy. she's been with the watchdog group for a long time. she's in her early to mid-20s. she can act like a cutesy 13-year-old girl or she can put a ball cap on and pose as a 13, 14 or 15-year-old boy and pull it off. >> we were in this challenging environment where we were in a rural area. glenn mitchell was going to drive quite some distance to get to this house to meet a young boy. and this had been going back and forth for some time. >> you take the 70 east like all the way almost to dayton. if you leave indianapolis, 127, exit 10, right.

all right, man, i'll talk to you then. bye. he's a really serious threat. i can't even believe how many kids this guy has hit on how many times. >> perverted justice had been aware of this guy for some time. apparently, he had been chatting with other decoys, and this was somebody that, you know, perverted justice thought should be exposed. >> give me a sense for the nature of the chat that went on today. >> it's very graphic. it's very -- he wants to engage in sex acts repeatedly. he wants to treat the boy like his main woman. he wants to take care of the boy. >> and he thinks you're a 14-year-old boy? >> correct. >> glen mitchell is driving from indiana. he's on one of these dark country roads. he gets lost. >> yeah. go -- make sure you are going east.

>> it was very intense. >> there's a cop following you? >> i think he makes a funny move on the road. and there's a police officer there. this makes mitchell spooked. and so he gets back on the road and starts to hightail it back to indiana. >> there's a cop before him and after him. they're guiding him back to the freeway because he lied and told them he got lost and is trying to get back to indianapolis. >> there's a continuing conversation about whether or not, you know, he'll turn around, whether he's going to come. >> they're going to pick him up. there's no way he's coming back tonight. >> all right, here's the situation. >> frank from perverted justice alerts the sheriff's men about what's happening. >> they can take him right now before he leaves the state. it'll be a different county, but they've got him. >> he had been with perverted justice since august of 2003. he came across the website while perusing the internet and almost instantly became interested in becoming a volunteer and been with p.j. ever since.

>> we don't want to spook him. >> del has another conversation with glen mitchell. and says, look, you were going to come over. what's the deal? >> is there any chance you can come back tonight? >> he says, look, this police officer was there, a trooper, it freaked me out, i'm scared. i'm not coming. >> well, the whole purpose of that call was to make sure to established that he still wanted to come back and have sex with me again so he can't say he had second thoughts. they're going to pick him up. there's no way he's coming back tonight. we'll get him out of the way because he's already said he wants to come back for sex. >> so police, based on the evidence that they have from the chat log and the fact that he started to travel towards the hidden camera house decide to call another county and have them go after glen mitchell. >> three units converging on the area as we speak. >> and he was, in fact, arrested. >> how were you going to use the condoms? >> i wasn't going to use them at all. >> you've got them in your pocket.

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>> when a date is made for one of these men to visit, we get a copy of the chat log from perverted justice so we can go through it. separately, at some point, perverted justice provides a copy to law enforcement. in this particular case, it didn't have its copy yet. >> do we have a transcript on buckeye yet? >> it's on its way. >> del's running it over to you right now. >> so del had to sprint across the street and get this chat log to the police and the prosecutors because they need to review it and make sure that this fits into the definition that they need for probable cause for, you know, solicitation or any other felony that this guy might be facing. >> yeah, where's he going? i'm plugged in, and i'm connected here.

can you hear me? oh, yes, he's here. we've got somebody out front. we have somebody out front. he's pulling in the driveway. >> hey, come on in. i've just got to get my coat off. it's freezing out, dude. hang out for a second. i'll be right back. okay? >> okey-doke. >> did you have a hard time finding the place? >> not at all. how are you today? >> good, how are you. >> i'm doing good. what can i do for you? >> that was my question for you. what can i do for you? >> well -- >> who are you going to meet here tonight? >> sara. >> sara. sara is how old? >> she's 15. >> 15. >> she just said that, yeah. >> and how old are you? >> i'm 30. my name is jay. >> chris, nice to see you. >> nice to see you too. >> to be quite honest with you, i'm not at all in any way, shape, or form, you know, some

sort of pedophile or anything like that. >> do you often come to visit young girls after chats on the internet? >> never. never. >> did you bring anything with you tonight? >> such as? >> condoms? >> yes, i did. >> you did. you brought condoms. >> however -- >> so you were going to just kick back and chat, and just in case something happened you brought condoms. >> yeah, but here's the deal -- >> will you put them on the table, please? >> i'm sorry? >> the condoms. there you go. so you had a big night planned, huh? >> no. please listen to me. >> go ahead. got nothing but time. >> there's nothing, i swear. i don't want to do anything. you know. i don't want to hurt anyone. i just wanted to talk. i swear to you. you know -- >> how were you going to use the condoms in the conversation? >> i wasn't going to use them at all. >> you have them in your pocket. >> well, yeah, i do have -- >> were you going to do balloon tricks with them? >> no. >> well, come on. there's only one reason, typically, that people bring condoms to a home. >> yeah. >> and that's for protection during sex.

>> yeah. >> there's only two people in this house as far as you know, you and the 15-year-old girl. so what am i to think about this? >> i have a family at home. i love them dearly. you know? >> you have kids? >> yes. >> how old are your kids? >> i have one daughter and two stepsons from my wife's previous marriage. >> so if your daughter was home alone and some guy who was 30 came to visit, you would feel how? >> i understand and sympathize. very upset. >> here is a guy who has got a wife and child at home and he's out on a weekend night, you know, several miles away at a stranger's home to meet a young teenage girl. i mean, what excuse did he give to go there? the realization of what he's really doing hits home with him. and you can see this in his face. >> "you're a virgin, eh?" "i bet you're scared of that,"

she says. why would that scare you? guys are always scared of that. actually, i find it quite attractive. >> sir, i know what i wrote. do you mind if i take off my coat? >> yes, go ahead. these are your words, right? >> yeah. they completely are. i'm not going to lie to you, sir. >> "i'm honored to be considered the candidate for your first." >> again, playful chat. >> playful chat. it sounds like you're excited by the fact that she is a virgin and you might be the first man to have sex with her. >> sir, i really wasn't going to do that. >> he knows he's in trouble at this point. he's starting to admit what he's up to. he's anxious, he's perspiring. you can see it. and he just really wants this to be over. >> there's a couple things you need to know. i'm chris hansen with "dateline nbc."

we're doing a story on adults who meet teens on the internet. if you have anything else you'd like to say, we'd be happy to hear it. >> why did you bring the condoms? >> because it was dumb. >> do you normally wear condoms while you're having sexual intercourse with your wife? >> no. >> okay. why did you buy the condoms today? because you intended to come here to my county and have sex with a 15-year-old female. >> she told you that she didn't want to get preggers. you said that you didn't want that either. >> does your wife know where you are at right now? >> no. >> where is she at right now? >> she's with my daughter on a camping trip. >> you have the right to remain silent. do you understand that? anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. do you understand that? your mom's a city prosecutor and your dad's a cop. you should probably have a little more common sense about things that we're doing out here tonight. okay? >> the interesting thing about jay reffner is once he's arrested and processed and taken

in for questioning, it turns out that his mother is a prosecutor in a nearby county. and his father was a police officer. >> my attorney is my mother. >> okay. >> i got a dial tone. >> go ahead and dial. >> now, how do you pick up the phone and tell your mother, the prosecutor, that you just got arrested in a sting operation for trying to meet a young teenage girl for sex? how do you put that into words? >> hey, this is jay. this is no joke. i'm at the darke county sheriff's office. i've been arrested and charged. i don't know what the charge is. hold on. hello? attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. if she comes down here, can she see me? >> yes. >> the attorney? >> yes. >> she's my attorney. >> the attorney, yes.

>> yes, you can. >> his mother, the prosecutor, even represents him at his court appearance. >> my name is carol reffner. i'm here for the limited purpose of this appearance. >> does your client understand the nature of the charges? >> he does. the defense is requesting that the court consider releasing the defendant on his own recognizance. he is not a flight risk. >> well, imagine what mrs. reffner is going through. i'm sure she could easily have said, look, i don't want anything to do with this. but she stood by her son and helped him get through the first phase of the judicial process. >> set bail at $2,500. cash, jewelry, or property. thank you, mr. reffner, for your appearance. >> i wrote a statement before i came. >> you wrote a statement? >> yes. at 8:00 p.m. tonight i'm meeting a person who i met online who claims to be a 14-year-old girl. i have no intention of supplying this person with alcohol, having

sex or doing any other improper or unlawful conduct with this person. ñññ

>> here's what's happening. president obama will hold a news conference tomorrow morning ahead of another round of talks with congressional leaders. the two sides met at the white house today. the president is saying, that a debt reduction deal needs to be done within the next ten days. 31 people were reportedly killed more than a hundred injured in a train derailment in india. authorities expect that number to rise as they sift through the wreckage. now back to "predator raw." we keep getting guys on the schedule a couple hours out. as it gets closer, something changes their mind. and that's what's been going on. that's why i'm not giving you updates on guys, because as the time approaches they keep bailing out. >> perverted justice decoys have been chatting with a number of men right around greenville and in darke county. and there came a point saturday where they just started going away.

>> the word's out around here. greenville is having a chat where these guys stop talking. >> the detectives later speculated that somehow word got out around town, that our investigation was compromised. >> anybody that does surveillance knows it's sit and wait. ten seconds of action, four hours of boredom. >> people were getting a little cagey inside the house, wondering what was going on, how badly was it compromised? you know, how far out did people know what was going on? there was a lot of pacing going on. a lot of nervous energy. >> do we have eyes on the green van? >> no, he turned off. we're not sure yet. we're just determining that. >> oh, no. >> who is it? >> it's the camera guy. >> yeah, it was one of the camera guys. >> we went nine hours without anybody showing up at this house.

which is the longest stretch of time i can remember in any of these investigations. and looking back, i think it had a lot to do with the fact word got out, at least close in, that we were there. >> he's on his way. >> we have another guy in a -- he's got the address, net buckeye. the guy is very, very slick. everything is i don't want to say it. you know, you might be a cop. >> after nine hours we do see a car, and there were indications that this was a guy named net buckeye who was coming over to meet a young teenage girl. >> was that a pathfinder going down the road there? >> do we have a transcript on buckeye yet? >> del's running it over to you right now. >> net buckeye is inbound. >> i'm inside. he can't even see me. >> it looks like he's casing the house. but finally he walks in the door. >> hello?

>> hey, come on in. i just got to go get my coat off. okay? >> why don't you come out -- >> just hang out at the bar for a second. >> come back here for a second. >> why don't you come in and have a seat real quick. >> okay. >> take your hands out of your pockets. come on in and have a seat. >> everybody hold. everybody hold. >> at this moment, you know, the darke county sheriff's detectives are getting into position, getting ready for him to leave after i finish the interview. >> and how old you are? >> i'm 33. >> 33. and what were you doing coming over here to meet a 14-year-old girl? >> honestly, i did not believe that that's who she said she was. i thought it was probably a guy trying to mess with me. >> what made you decide to come here? help me out. help me understand it. >> you know, before i left, i was sitting there thinking to myself, you know, this is not the right thing to do.

i knew it wasn't. i mean, just from the standpoint of i'm 33 and she's claiming to be 14, i mean, that's just -- you know? and i don't know. i can't tell you. i'm a lonely person. and i wanted to just hang out. >> just hang out. >> yes. >> and what did you talk about in this chat you had with her? she says, "i like making my guy happy." you say "i like to please also." >> right. i do. not necessarily in a sexual way. >> but you see how that looks. she says, "should i wear thong panties?" you said, "i like surprises." >> which i do. inappropriate. no question, inappropriate on my part to have a conversation and entertain and come over here is beyond inappropriate.

can i have you read something? >> this was one of the most surreal interviews that i had conducted up until this point. he starts to say, well, you know, i even wrote a letter. i said, "a letter?" >> i wrote a statement before i came here. >> you wrote a statement. >> yes. >> do you mind if i send somebody out to get it? >> i don't at all. >> here. why don't you give me your keys? where in your vehicle is it? >> it's on the passenger seat. >> on the passenger seat. i think it was del of perverted justice who went out to get the letter off the front seat of the car. >> and this is the letter you're talking about? >> right. >> why don't you read it to me? >> okay. at 8:00 p.m. tonight i'm meeting a person whom i met online who claims to be a 14-year-old girl. i have no intention of supplying this person with alcohol, having sex or doing any other improper unlawful conduct with this person. if she really is who she says she is, my intention is to befriend her and try to mentor her.

her parents should also be aware of her behavior and possibly get her counseling. >> so you're here to mentor this girl? >> i -- that -- >> to counsel her. >> to me, no. >> so i'm still a little bit confused. i mean, i get why you wrote the letter, i think. just in case you walked into a bad situation and you got hurt. right? >> right. for my own safety, right. >> for your own safety. >> right. i wanted there to be a record of -- that someone could go to to get information from. >> but i guess at the end of the day, i just really wonder why you'd even come over here in first place if you were so concerned. why not just blow it off? call the police and say, there's a girl home alone -- >> right. and i considered that. >> do you ever watch tv? >> i do. >> do you ever watch "dateline

nbc"? >> i have before, i think. >> have you ever seen one of our stories on computer predators? >> i don't think so, no. >> i'm chris hansen with "dateline nbc." >> okay. >> we're doing a story on adults who try to meet and then hook up with kids on the internet. and this is one of those stories. >> okay. >> if you -- if there's anything else you'd want to tell us, we'd be happy to hear it. if not, you're obviously free to go. >> no, i don't have anything further to add. i think that pretty much covers it all. and i'm ashamed. >> all right. >> i'd just never seen it before. i was kind of blown away by it. >> i'm from the sheriff's office. >> all right. >> at this time we just want to talk to you and talk about some things that occurred here tonight. >> the detectives who talked to him and investigated the case pretty much thought that he was trying to protect himself. >> why did you write a letter and leave it in your truck to try to cover yourself?

because you knew you messed up, you knew why you were going there, and you wanted to help yourself out if you got caught. >> what was this guy up to? >> well, we refer to it in the office as the alibi letter. >> alibi letter? >> yeah. it was composed in such a way that it's our belief that he put it there that if he should get caught, made it appear that he was completely innocent. a lot of premeditation there in my book. >> at the end of the day, he was arrested. he was charged with crimes related to online solicitation, attempted sex with a minor. >> you want me to rub your feet? >> yeah, no. >> how do i know you're not a cop? "i'm not a cop." "how do i prove it?" "call my cell and leave a sexy message." >> i know it was stupid.

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he's in the driveway. >> this is one of those cases where my receiving the chat and the arrival of our guest came pretty close together. and so del, who had handed me the chat log, is kind of talking me through it and kind of giving me the background of who this guy is. normally i have more time to go through this. but this all happened pretty quickly. so she's whispering and i'm taking notes, i'm going through

the thing and highlighting the pertinent portions of the transcript, getting ready because this guy's coming to the door. >> hey. come on in. i just hurt my toe when i ran out there because there's rocks on the ground. i'm just going to put a band-aid on it. okay? >> where are you at? >> i'm going to look for a band-aid so i don't bleed on the rug. >> oh, okay. >> why don't you hang out, have a seat at the bar for me. will you? >> keep your hands out of your pockets. come on, just go over here and have a seat, please. no, no, sir. right here, please. what's going on? why don't you tell me to get things started? tell me what was happening. >> i don't know. >> you don't know? >> i do. i'm sorry. >> you're sorry for what? >> i'm an idiot. >> an idiot. what do you do for a living? >> i'm a paramedic. >> a paramedic. >> yeah.

>> now, in your chat here you essentially say you're a firefighter. >> yeah. >> don't you think that might impress a 13-year-old girl? >> i'm sorry. i -- >> what was your plan here today? >> i don't know. >> you don't know? >> i seriously don't know. >> well, it looks like you knew based upon this chat. "want me to rub your feet?" "yeah." >> no, no. >> when you see a passage like that in a chat log where an adult asks a child to do something like that, to rub your feet, that's like a power trip. "now i'm getting turned on," you said. how do i know you're not a cop? i'm not a cop. how do i prove it? call my cell and leave a sexy message. what do you want me to say? something to turn me on. how about firemen are sexy? laugh out loud. okay.

>> it takes it a step further than, you know, being sexually excited. it is like you're trying to control this kid by making them do something. and it's disturbing. >> what would have happened if i had not been here? >> i would have done something stupid. >> with a 13-year-old girl? >> i don't know. probably. >> if a 13-year-old girl had been here. >> yeah. >> what should happen to you? do you know it's illegal? >> i know my career is probably over. >> to do this, this is against the law. using the internet to solicit a 13-year-old girl. >> i know. >> what if this was your younger sister, and somebody walked into -- >> i'd be pretty upset. >> -- the home where she was living when she was alone? >> i know. i'm real protective of her, too. you probably think i was stupid, judging by this. >> so you have a younger sister. >> she's 18.

>> 18. and she's 18 and you're protective of her. and here you are -- >> i don't know. i mean -- >> it amazes me that they're very protective of their own children in their lives. yet they're willing to go do this with somebody else's child. >> well, there's a couple things you need to know. >> yeah. >> do you ever watch television? >> yeah. >> do you ever watch "dateline"? >> "dateline"? >> "dateline nbc." have you ever seen our stories on computer predators? >> yeah, i've seen them. >> this is one of them. >> oh, no. >> i'm chris hansen with "dateline." if there's anything else you want to tell me, i'd like to hear it. >> no. that's okay. >> if not you're obviously free to leave. sir, you can go ahead. >> no, please, let me stay here.

>> sir, i'm going to have to ask that you go out. >> he doesn't want to leave. he knew that it was likely that once he left he would be arrested. >> are you going to follow me out there? >> we're not going to follow you out. >> no, can you, please? >> well, you're free to leave. i don't think we can follow you out now. >> can you turn the cameras off and talk to me? >> i'm sorry. can i talk to you without the cameras? >> i can't turn the cameras off, no. >> why not? >> because i can't once they get turned on. >> please, i'm just asking you. >> no, i'm telling you unfortunately i'm not able to do that. >> he gets up and slowly makes his way to the door. he's arrested and taken away for processing and an interview with detectives. >> what did you and cat discuss or plan specifically to do once you met her knowing she was 13 years old? you're talking about kissing and what else? >> kiss, rub her feet, stuff like that. >> rub her feet? >> yeah.

>> it's hard not to feel compassion for a guy in that situation, crying like that, but again, you go back and read the chat log and you feel a little less sorry. >> you're only 15, a little young for this, aren't you? yep. are you still a virgin? >> stupid question for an older man to ask a girl like that. almost tastes like one of jack's cereals. fiber one. uh, forgot jack's cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? um...

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>> did he say he is coming back? >> i don't see anybody np no point of me being out here. >> she comes back in and now this couple comes over and we don't see where they're coming from. >> this is very strange. >> i'm wondering, is this somebody we are expecting. is this someone who kmat chatted with a dei would koi. >> how are you? >> chris hansen. >> you're from date line. >> absolutely. the police know what's going 07b. >> it turns out that they were friends of the man from whom we rented the house. and they had seen some activity

and they are just checking to see what was going on. >> they saw dell outside. they wondered who it was. they are just checking up on things. >> just an example of the unexpected things that always happen when we do one of these investigations. >> it was late at night when he showed up. and he made no bones about what he wanted to do when he got there. and the chat was very explicit. >> where are you at? >> i today go change out of my clothes okay? >> okay. >> just hang out at the bar for a second. i'll be right back on. i just have on like a jacket and thermal and t-shirt and like 80,000 layers of clothing. >> little late to be prowling around these parts. >> yeah it is, isn't it some. >> why don't you have a seat there on the stool. >> what's happening? >> not a lot. how you are? >> not bad. >> what are you up to tonight.

>> not a whole lot. >> what are you doing here? >> a friend asked me to come over. >> a friend? and who's that friend. >> a girl. >> what's the girl's name? >> um -- i'm not sure. >> how about sady? does that sound familiar? >> well, yeah, that's what she said. >> how old is sady? >> 18. snrs 18? >> that's what she said on the phone. >> that's what she said on the phone. >> yeah. >> what did she say on the internet? >> she said 15 or 16 but i said no, you got to be 18. >> really? >> yeah. >> now do you want to rethink that and tell the truth this time o or do you want to stick with that story? >> well i kind of figured something was going on. >> you did? ? yeah. >> so that was a big lie about the 18 thing you just said? >> well, i don't remember. i was talking to quite a few people. >> it is almost 2:30 in the morning opinion how far did you travel tonight to be here? >> i came from columbus. >> columbus.

what did that take to you get down here from columbus. >> i don't know. probably a couple hours. >> couple hours? >> that's a long ride. at this time of night. >> yes, sir. >> what makes a man get in a car and drive two hours of? >> i don't know, just somebody wanted to meet me and i wanted to meet them i guess. >> how old are you. >> i'm 42. i'm not looking for -- i mean, to like -- do anything or anything. >> what made you think it was okay at 42 years old to walk fwhoo a home at roughly 2:30 in the morning. where a 15-year-old girl was apparently home alone. >> i wasn't sure she was 15 or not. >> that's what she said on the internet. are you still a virgin? >> stupid question for an older man to ask a girl like that. >> she says, well, i'm not telling anyone if you won't. my mom would have a freaking cow. well, don't worry. it's our secret. i can come over there. is the parents gone? again, you say, you've got to

promise me you're not like 5-0. that's the police, right? >> uh-huh. >> i don't want to get locked up. >> looks like i'm going to. >> and me sucking your little sweet spot. >> right. it's being stupid. >> i want to taste you for real. >> god. >> but, baby, 15 can get me 20. >> yeah, it probably can. it probably will. >> during the chat, he acknowledges that visiting this 15-year-old girl is wrong. he even jokes at one point, 15 will get me 20. in other words, if i get convicted of being with you, i can face 20 years in prison. >> am i under arrest, sir? >> you're not under arrest, no, not now as we speak. >> okay, thank you. i'm chris hansen with "dateline

nbc," and we're doing a story on adults who try to meet teens on the internet. >> all right. >> if there is something else you would like to tell us, we would like to hear it. if not, you're free to leave. >> thank you. >> i want to read you your rights, okay? >> okay. >> you have the right to remain silent. do you understand that? >> yes, sir. >> coming up. anything you say can and will be used against you in a court reporter of law. >> at the end of the ohio investigation, we knew there was a possibility we might find fewer potential predators because we were out there. you know? especially at night. the road signs weren't great. not a lot of street lights. we were across the street from a big farm. it was a neighborhood but a neighborhood attached to a very rural area. we got about the number of men we expected and something consistent with what we had experienced in bigger towns.